Considering battery storage on your Freestone County land?

Ask for the equipment layout and the delivery route together

The equipment boundary is only part of the proposal. Ask the developer to show the roads it will use, entry points, turning and unloading areas, temporary work and electrical route. Mark any gates, fences, buildings and access you need to keep.

Freestone County’s posted road-use agreement calls for a map of designated roads and property access points before work or later changes. It also describes county consent for adding roads. Ask whether the proposed delivery route is settled and which approvals or rights remain.

Identify the maintenance authority for every road on that route. A county-maintained road, city street, state road and private road are different questions. The agreement’s opening includes statements about the project area being outside city limits and city extraterritorial jurisdiction; have the actual location checked before relying on those statements.

Ask how a route change would affect your land and neighbors. If delivery planning requires a wider entrance, a different gate or temporary use of retained land, review the new drawing and terms before work starts.

Confirm the equipment-site, construction, fire, environmental and electrical reviews for the actual battery design separately. Approval to use a road is one permission; it does not resolve the rest of the project.

Reference: Freestone County: Posted road-use agreement, bond and permit · Freestone County: Road-use and pipeline application requirements

Name the applicant and repair party before anyone signs

The road agreement is between the county and the applicant, acting through an authorized agent. Ask which project company will sign and accept its conditions. Ownership of the land alone is not a reason to assume you should be the road applicant.

The posted terms address damage caused by the applicant, contractors and suppliers. They distinguish severe or safety-related damage from minor repairs, and exclude ordinary wear and tear. Have your adviser review how those terms apply to the proposed work and the company’s private commitments.

The agreement also addresses maintenance during construction, advance road preparation and county repairs billed to the applicant if it does not perform the agreed work. Ask who handles inspections, complaints, repair work and costs if a contractor leaves or the project company changes.

It includes surety and insurance provisions. The bond amount is blank in the posted form. Have the company confirm the actual requirements and explain which party provides the bond and coverage. A public road bond should not be assumed to pay for every private damage or end-of-project obligation on your land.

Keep your own terms specific: who repairs the entrance, fences and drainage; what access stays open; who pays; and how you report a problem. Discuss obligations after construction as well as during deliveries. Read the county papers and private agreement together.

Reference: Freestone County: Posted road-use agreement, bond and permit

County road permission does not give the company private access

The road agreement addresses county consent and affected-owner consent for road widening or changes. It also says the applicant must obtain necessary private rights before using private property for deliveries or site access. Ask to see the route and identify every owner whose permission is needed.

If the route uses your private road or an existing easement, have the actual rights reviewed. Consider heavy deliveries, routine service, repairs and emergency access separately. A right that serves an existing use should not simply be assumed to allow all proposed battery traffic.

The agreement distinguishes a road built on private land from a county road. It describes dedication and affirmative county acceptance rather than automatic county maintenance. Ask who maintains any new or existing private access throughout the project.

The county also posts a separate pipeline-crossing agreement. That document addresses road restoration, future relocation at the line owner’s expense and indemnification. Its pipeline scope is a reason to confirm the correct process for an electrical crossing rather than assume it authorizes battery cable work.

Set the scope of surveys, testing and construction entry before fieldwork. Agree on notice, work areas and restoration. An inquiry to Sunland does not grant the developer entry, create a private easement or authorize a road application.

Reference: Freestone County: Posted road-use agreement, bond and permit · Freestone County: Pipeline crossing agreement and diagram · Freestone County: Road-use and pipeline application requirements

Check the current plat forms if the deal changes the property arrangement

If the proposal includes a land division, a sale of part of a tract or a change to an existing plat, ask the company and your adviser which county or city requirements apply. A battery lease does not automatically require a subdivision application just because the county publishes one.

The county resource page links plat and replat forms approved and updated May 20, 2026. The plat form asks for field notes, owner information, tax certificates, water and electric-provider letters, and other listed attachments. The replat form has its own requirements. Have the actual transaction and layout checked before choosing either.

The plat form asks whether water and electric utilities may be available. That is separate from determining whether a battery facility can charge and discharge at its proposed size. Ask which connection studies, equipment and upgrades remain, who pays for them and when the company expects a meaningful answer.

The forms distinguish possible Commissioners Court approval from filing with the County Clerk. Ask who prepares the documents, handles the review and recording steps, and pays the applicable costs. Do not treat an application, meeting or a recorded drawing as complete battery-project approval.

The linked subdivision text says March 10, 2005; its signature page is blank. It discusses unincorporated land divisions, roads, drainage and owner responsibilities. Confirm current rules and amendments for the actual proposal rather than rely on old design values or filing deadlines.

If a new boundary or recorded arrangement is proposed, review how it affects retained access, utilities and future use. The land left outside the battery area should remain part of the discussion.

Reference: Freestone County: Plat and replat resources · Freestone County: Plat application, updated May 2026 · Freestone County: Replat application, updated May 2026 · Freestone County: Posted subdivision order, March 2005 text

Review drainage and retained access beyond the equipment pad

Bring the company’s drawing back to the conditions you know on the property. Mark low spots, ponds, ditches, stream crossings, existing improvements and places where access becomes difficult after rain. Ask how grading and entrances change water movement.

The posted subdivision document discusses drainage through the property, drainage easements and a written drainage assessment in the subdivision context. It also distinguishes plat approval from acceptance of county maintenance. Have the current requirements and responsibility for the actual plan confirmed.

The county’s floodplain application includes placement of fill and changes to a natural waterway or drainage course. It has separate administrator decisions for exemption, approval, rejection, additional information and other permits. Ask the developer to confirm what applies to the complete work area and route.

The flood form warns that land outside identified special flood-hazard areas can still flood. A map label or exemption is not a promise that the equipment or access will stay dry. Have current mapping and the necessary drainage review completed for the actual design.

Ask how routine and emergency access would be maintained, including on the land you retain. Have the company identify the responsible fire reviewers and the actual battery requirements. General subdivision or road documents do not determine the battery fire design.

Before signing an option, lease or sale, agree who pays for studies, applications, road work and corrections. Set payment terms, dates and an exit if the approvals or connection do not work out. Include equipment removal, restoration and the responsibilities that continue after construction.

Reference: Freestone County: Floodplain development application · Freestone County: Posted subdivision order, March 2005 text · Freestone County: Posted road-use agreement, bond and permit

Send the location without completing county applications first

Use the form to tell Sunland where the land is and how to reach you. Include acreage and a parcel number if available. Say whether you are considering a lease, a sale or only part of the property.

Mention roads, shared access, easements, an existing plat or drainage concerns. Describe what you need to keep using. You do not need to choose a road permit, prepare engineering or obtain a utility letter before asking about the land.

Sending an inquiry does not make you the road applicant, authorize entry or commit you to a project. Any later investigation, agent authorization or land agreement needs its own terms.

If the discussion moves forward, ask for the full layout, a clear list of unresolved reviews and a written division of responsibilities. Those steps help you assess the proposal; they do not guarantee a project or a particular payment.

Reference: Freestone County: Downloadable permits and road resources · Freestone County: Posted road-use agreement, bond and permit